A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.

WARNING: OOC, CRUDE LANGUAGE, SUGGESTIVE SITUATIONS

Chapter 4: Cold

Serph crawled out of the cave. He stood and up and looked around. There was just ice everywhere…The weather was calm though. There wasn't a gust of wind anywhere. But still, it was dark out. The sun had yet to rise…or had it?

Gale had told him of his theory about northern hemisphere weather.

The sun hardly rose on the northern parts of the world…That was because of the planet's position and their orbit around the sun. The poles had the least amount of sun…and it also depended on the seasons.

It was the winter season…so…

It was best, in their opinion, to leave for the expedition during the winter season as arctic cyclones didn't occur as often as they do during summers.

It had just happened that…they had met the cyclone in the open seas…He couldn't help but feel guilty about that issue…

But now wasn't the time.

He looked around for his teammate and saw her by a large carcass. His eyes widened at the sight. It had been a big animal…

She had killed it?

How…?

He walked up to her, "That's quite a kill." he commended coolly.

She turned and smiled at him, "Yeah. It's an arctic bear."

"How did you kill it?"

Argilla smirked evilly at him, "I sniped it. I never go anywhere without my rifle, you know? It was the first thing I rescued before I went to the lifeboats!"

Serph raised an eyebrow; the first thing she…cared and thought about…was…her rifle?

'Go figure…' he thought to himself, making a face.

She sweat-dropped, "Well, whatever. I was just skinning it. We need it. And the meat looks tasty too! It'll make great hot stew!"

Serph smiled at her. She really was a soldier; brave, calculating, disciplined. A true survivor.

XXXXX

The two sat right across from one another as they ate in silence. The night had rolled in. Serph had deduced that he had awoken sometime in the afternoon.

He looked at his companion, "We need to get a move on ASAP."

Argilla gazed up at him and nodded, "You're right. We can't stay out here."

Serph smirked, "The mission's still on."

"You mean…"

"That's right." he said, cutting her off, "We're here to explore this place. And then, there's the fact that we still need to look for survivors."

"What's our itinerary?" she asked seriously.

Serph touched his chin, "First thing tomorrow, we have to look for more things that we can salvage. We need equipment Argilla. We're practically naked out here."

She nodded in congruence, "You're right. Well, we had better get some sleep."

Serph then blushed; where was she to sleep…? He hadn't asked her about that yet…

He watched silently as she took their bowls away and there, prepared to turn in for the night. He saw as she tossed something over to him. He caught it and saw that it was a container filled with water. She smiled, "Keep it with you. We have to conserve heat remember?" she asked, insinuating that she would turn off the lamp. Right; those bottles would be the only things unfrozen by morning.

Lamps and heaters were turned off when sleeping. He then wondered…He looked at her and saw that she was preparing to sleep on the icy floor beside him. Wait; where was her sleeping bag?

"Argilla?"

"Hm?"

"Where is your sleeping bag?" he asked with concern.

Argilla smiled warily at him, "I have no sleeping bag. I only found one. But I'm okay. I already have my fluffy blanket. You need it more than me."

He? Needing it more than she? Was she crazy? She was a woman for Christ's sake! He was a man for crying-out-loud! If anything, it was she who deserved it more!

"That's a negative Argilla." he said firmly, shaking his head, "You're not the only one knowledgeable about cold weather. Your body wouldn't be able to withstand the cold for too long. You got lucky the previous day. You had better take the sleeping bag. I'll be fine."

She raised an eyebrow, and looked at him with steely eyes, "Serph, you might still be suffering from minor hypothermia. No…I'm fine."

Serph was getting irritated. She was doing it again. She was smothering him again. Why doesn't she just get it?

With his great agility, he suddenly grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to him. He felt her stiffen in his arms, their faces being only an inch apart.

Serph was beginning to drown within her pink pools, but nonetheless remained true to what he was to say, "Take the bag Argilla." he spoke huskily.

She shivered, "Serph…"

Her heart was beating faster…And she didn't know why. This was just Serph! Her leader…her friend…The guy she looked out for! Nothing else…

'Then why do I…?'

"Take it." he spoke once more, releasing her from his hold.

He had to. He could feel her body-heat seeping over to his body and he couldn't help but feel euphoric. But that would be folly…He couldn't allow himself to fall any deeper within her trap than he already did…

She had captivated him with her strength…her beauty…

He averted eyes from her and moved away from the bag, motioning for her to get within its warm folds. Argilla looked at his eyes for a moment longer then smiling and then moving within the aforesaid sleeping bag.

He then turned off the small lamp, letting the fire be extinguished.

When he was done, he nodded and made for the less warm spot when suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm. He looked at Argilla questioningly and she smiled, "There's room for two in here." she told him lowly, her pink eyes boring into his silver ones.

What?

What did she just say? Did she mean that…?

He suddenly blushed, "Argilla…"

She smiled, "Come on Serph. You need it as much as I do…Maybe even more. It's good…"

He knew what she meant…It would be practical. It would be a way to…

"Conserve heat. Come on Serph; we need all the heat that we could generate." she told him firmly, no trace of 'other' things in her mind.

He felt his blood calm down at that and the more he thought of it, the more it made sense. She was right of course; they needed all the heat that they could generate. And they needed to trap as much of the heat that they could emit.

But still…there was a part of him that still felt quite uncomfortable.

'Stop being such a pussy and just go.' his inner self told him.

Nodding, Serph crawled towards her and there she received him with open arms. The two settled within the sleeping bag, as close and compacted as they could be. The aforesaid bag was closed and was tightened around their bodies, the thick fur coats covering them within the bag.

Argilla looked into his deep silver eyes, slightly glowing in the dark, as they pressed their chests together, her legs intertwining with his comfortably. She whispered softly, chuckling a bit, "Um…just tell me when you want to switch positions."

Blood once more rushed to his head as he pondered over her words.

Switch…positions…?

Oh boy…

At that moment, dirty thoughts flew within Serph's head…

"Oh God Serph…! Don't…don't touch me…there…! Ah…!"

"Serph?"

Serph blinked; what? What just happened? He looked at the confused woman in front of him, who had concern written all over her features, "Serph…? What's wrong? Want to change positions?"

There she was again with that question! He blushed and willed the perverted thoughts that he could still see and hear, even at that moment, out of his mind and smiled nervously, "No! It's okay…I'll tell you when…I uh…want to…change."

She nodded and there buried her face at the crook of his neck, her arms going around his torso, wrapping him in a tight embrace…She sighed in contentment as she pressed her chest tighter against his…

Serph lightly groaned at that and there wrapped her as tight as he could within his strong arms as well…

Moments later, as he remained awake, he felt that the woman within his arms was asleep. Her heartbeat was steady and was slow…her breathing was even and calmed…He smiled as he stole a look at her face…

Her lips were set on a quaint little pout and her eyes were shut tightly. He chuckled; she could be such a fighter…even in her sleep.

His brave little space cadet. His brave little soldier.

It was then…in the dark…in complete silence…as he continued to look at her and feel her…that his mind and heart begun to meander once more.

His body became rigid as he felt her lightly stir within his arms…only to return to peaceful slumber.

Her body felt so comfortable against his own…He could feel her ample chest pressing against his softly…gently…yet firmly. He groaned at the feel of her…

Her body fit his perfectly…Her shape…her physique…It was as if it was meant to be paired with his…That was why…that was why he wondered so.

If it felt this good to hold her in this situation, in this place at this time…What would it feel like if she was actually holding him, embracing him this way because she was his…?

What if she was his?

He found himself smiling then.

What if she was holding him not for the sake of practicality but because of her heart's fancy instead…?

'What would it be like if she…chose to do this with me…because she wanted me?' he asked himself wistfully, dreamily as he continued to hold her.

Would it be nice? Blissful…? Euphoric?

His heart smiled. It would probably be…

That was where his heart stopped; reality had sunk in. The fact remained that she was within his arms, not because of her heart's fancy but because of…mere practicality. It was because of mutual need; the need for survival.

He sighed.

'This is stupid. I shouldn't think this way…This isn't the time or the place for such nonsense.' he told himself, hardening his flimsy and lovesick heart.

'This is why she would never regard you as a man.' his inner self sneered, 'You have to show her that you are a man damn it! Stop acting like a sissy and stop daydreaming! If you want her, take her!'

The voice disappeared.

'Easier said than done.'

No longer having the strength to keep himself awake, he too then succumbed to the call of rest.

XXXXX

Serph awoke early and there was unpleasantly surprised to find her gone. He frowned.

'Way to go. The day hasn't even begun yet and you already screwed it up.'

He shook his head. Why was it that she was besting him at everything?!

He crawled out of the bag and there packed it neatly. He then took ice and washed his face, letting its cool liquid state bring him fully into the realm of the conscious mind.

Well, out in the snow, there really was no concept of "lavatories" or "baths". They were to improvise.

He grabbed the bear's coat and put it over himself.

He crawled out of their snow cave and there looked around him. The weather was calm. It was a good day to leave the place and look around.

She was nowhere to be seen. He walked over to the nearest hill and squinted his eyes, looking for her. They were still by the coastal area, near the ocean…

Hm…

Ah…!

He saw her moving towards him. He walked over to where she was and there saw that she had quite a load with her. Immediately, his male instincts kicked in and he held the box in her arms, "Let me."

Argilla blinked, "I got it Serph. It's okay."

"Let me." he insisted; his deep voice told her, his eyes peering deeply into hers.

She blushed lightly and relinquished the box, "Suit yourself." she said, shrugging her shoulders indifferently.

She then turned around, "I still have another box I have to return to…so…"

"I'll meet you at the cave in five." he told her in a firm voice.

She nodded, "Sure thing sir."

And with that, she was gone.

He walked back by the cave and there opened the metallic box. He looked at its contents and nodded in approval. There were a pair of binoculars, gloves…knives and daggers…

He took the gloves and inspected them. Well, it was good enough. It could keep the snow out while at the same time porous enough so that it would prevent condensation within. He was glad though that this time, there were enough for the two of them.

'Two pairs…what are the odds…?' he asked himself with mirth.

Well, that was it. There really wasn't anything else. He frowned; what they needed was a communicator, a sensor…They needed a homing beacon that they could use to send transmission over to Muladhara.

But he supposed that wishing for all of the aforesaid items to appear within the box that he sat in front of would be foolhardy. A silly dream.

He sighed at that.

He snapped out of his daze as he saw his partner set down another box.

"Here, I went back over to the boat and salvaged whatever I could."

Serph blushed; the box that she had brought with her was bigger and looked heavier than the one that he had taken from her.

She bested him…again.

'Pussy…' his inner self scowled.

'…'

"Here, this might be useful…" Argilla trailed off as she opened the box and there took out an earpiece.

She looked at up and smiled, "It's a good thing that we have these. These were within waterproof boxes…" she said, throwing him an earpiece. It was good; at least they would be able to communicate with one another there.

Serph peered into the box while Argilla continued to rummage through it, taking out its contents one by one.

There were two pairs of goggles, a few explosives…a 20-feet long cord…a flare-gun with five rounds and a mini transmitter.

Serph nodded in approval, "That's great. We'll need these. Wait, does this still work?" he asked, holding the transmitter. He had been glad that she had managed to salvage one. It was a silent wish come true…

But…finding out if it worked was still an issue.

Well, there was one way to find out. He activated the small device in his hand and gave it a test run. He smiled as he saw the readings that it gave off. It had worked but it had not detected any signal.

It was not made for long-distance transmissions…But still, it was better than nothing.

He then stood up, with the binoculars in hand and stood atop the hill, with Argilla just looking on with him. He was going to scout the area. Well, that was good. So, knowing his intentions, she gathered the equipment and sealed them effectively within the two metallic boxes.

Serph looked at the horizon and there, put the binoculars over his eyes. It was a good thing that the binoculars that Argilla had brought had a long range and good zooming capabilities.

He narrowed his eyes as he thought he saw something…

'It looks like…!'

He held his breath and there zoomed in on the image.

'It's like a dome.'

A dome beneath the snow. Only a portion of it was seen above the snow and ice…The rest was submerged beneath. It must've been there for a long, long time…Maybe even…ancient.

He took the binoculars from his eyes and walked over to his companion. He looked at her with serious eyes, "We leave first thing tomorrow. I've found what seemed to be a settlement a few miles north of here."

Argilla nodded, "What about Gale and the others…? We can't transmit…"

Serph shook his head, "The ship had a link with Muladhara long before it sunk. The pier would know how to locate it. But, we really can't stay out here Argilla. Another cyclone might come our way."

She nodded, "You're right." she concurred.

Serph nodded, "Alright. As of now, I want you to prepare all of the things that we are to bring along. I need not name them. I shall return to the coast and see if anything else had been washed up ashore."

She nodded, "Sure thing sir. But…" she hesitated.

He raised an eyebrow, "But what?"

"Survivors sir?"

Serph nodded, "Scour the shores for them. But if you find none, then leave it. The dome is not that hard to spot. If there are survivors, they'd regroup there."

That was right. It was part of their training manual. When they had been separated, they were to regroup. Where? At a visible landmark or/and attempt to establish communication with your CO.

He nodded again, "Get to it lieutenant." he told her firmly.

"Affirmative."

XXXXX

Serph crawled into the cave again and saw that Argilla had been preparing their meal. It had been from the bear that she had killed a day before.

She smiled at him, "Well, we're all set for tomorrow Serph. I've made a knapsack for all the things we're to bring. Boxes are an impossibility to bring and are a liability. And I've dried some of the meat too; we could use the reserves."

He nodded.

She blinked, "What did you find?"

He shook his head, "Seeing that we are to travel on foot, I've made a makeshift sled from the parts of the boat."

She nodded, "Right. We need that. It'll make the load easier to bear."

"Anything else?" she asked again.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Not much but a packed tent."

She beamed, "That's great! We don't have to build a shelter."

Serph stifled a low growl within his throat; he could make a shelter for the both of them! It needn't be her problem! It was a man's job; hence, it was his job. He could do it without a problem in a heartbeat!

"Maybe. But if the weather is bad, I can still make a small trench for us both." he openly declared.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I hope the weather becomes cooperative."

Serph wanted nothing more for than to strangle her right there; was she doubting him again?

"How far is it?" she asked, rousing him from his reverie.

He blinked, "A couple of day's walk."

Argilla nodded and there gave him his food for the night, "Here. We need to get to bed early…"

He nodded and gratefully took the bowl from her. The two ate in silence, each keeping to themselves. But Serph's eyes were wandering. He was stealing glances at her direction. Her eyebrows were furrowed together; she seemed to be concentrating on thinking of something.

He blinked in surprise though as she turned and looked at him with a grin.

Wait.

What was she grinning about?

"Er…What's wrong?" he asked, a bit nervously.

She chuckled, "Remember our days at the Academy?"

He groaned; not this again. But to keep the spirits alive, he nodded, "What about them?"

"Remember the first time you met Heat?"

Serph smirked, "Yeah…"

Argilla laughed, "You were so mean to him."

Wait a minute. Rewind.

Him? Mean? To Heat?!

What the hell was she talking about?!

She chuckled, "You beat the crap out of him and he wasn't even doing anything wrong!"

He frowned, "He was…harassing you."

She blinked. Was that how he really saw it? They had settled this issue long ago…when they were still just in their teens. But…she had a feeling that Serph never really capitulated and just said his share of "I'm sorry" to shut everyone up.

Come to think of it, she never really heard his side of the story…

"He wasn't harassing me Serph." she told him with a small smile, "He was just being friendly."

Serph snorted; Heat…friendly? He doubted it.

He then blushed as he remembered it.

Flashback

He walked along the hallways, towards his locker. The next training exercises were to begin. He stopped suddenly as he saw Argilla leaning on the wall with her arms crossed. She seemed to be talking to…

He froze.

A guy.

He didn't know why but…something within him told him that he didn't like seeing her with another guy. They had been friends for over a year now and had been quite close. She had never mentioned anything to him about a "guy".

Most especially the redhead that she was currently talking to.

He took several steps away and pressed himself against the wall so that they may not see him. He wanted to know what they were talking about…

In the midst of all the students walking, he could hear her gingerly laugh. He stole a peek at them again and there his eyes widened.

The redhead leaned over to her, whispering something to her ear when his hands latched themselves onto her waist and there traveled to cup her tight and round buttocks. She squealed and slapped him in the face.

That was it.

He saw red.

End Flashback

"You fought him and gave him a broken nose Serph! He didn't mean any harm!" she said, pouting playfully.

Serph cast his head down and then looked at her with steely eyes, "He was harassing you. He was…touching you…errr…inappropriately."

Argilla raised an eyebrow, "Serph. Ah…no…Well, not really."

Not really?

What did that mean?

Argilla looked at him and chuckled as she saw his puzzled expression. Right. She didn't tell him that either.

Hm.

"Serph…Heat wasn't doing anything…'wrong' technically. I was…kinda dating him at the time so…"

His silver eyes widened, "You were…dating him?" he asked, choking a bit.

She nodded, "Yeah. I was…but shortly after that, we kinda split apart."

Serph frowned, "How come you didn't tell me?"

She chuckled and there tenderly fingered his face, "Come on Serph. I didn't think I needed to tell you every single detail that went on in my life…!"

Well, she had a point.

He was just her friend; he wasn't her father or her legal guardian either. But still…it kind of stung…He felt left out. Again.

He smiled warily at her, "I suppose so."

Argilla took the bowl from him and set it aside and there crawled over closer to him. She then gave him a friendly peck on the lips, "I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

His eyes widened at what she had done. Did she just do what he thought she did? It might have been a fleeting moment…but to him, it felt long enough. It felt long enough for him to taste her…no matter how little…No matter that it had been that quick; but he felt her lips nonetheless…They were soft, smooth…and silky.

His throat suddenly felt very dry as he peered into her pink eyes…Their faces were close…

Too close…

And then, it was over.

She drew back and smiled, "Hahahah…yeah. But then, after that, you guys got along didn't you?" she asked, getting back to the original topic.

What topic?

Heat.

Serph groaned and shook his head. She sweat-dropped, "But as long as you two weren't killing each other…It's fine."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I suppose so…"

She chuckled again, "Okay, okay. I get the message. You don't want to talk about Heat. Hm…Well," she paused as she touched her chin, "there's nothing else that I can think of to talk about."

Serph's chest tightened. There was nothing else that she could think of to talk about other than Heat? Did that mean that she liked talking about him? That she liked thinking about him…?

Did that mean that she…missed all of their times together…?

Did that mean that she wanted to…get back together with him…?

Serph felt a painful prick in his heart but nonetheless pasted a calm face for her to see, "Well, it's getting late. We better get some sleep."

She nodded, "You're right…"

XXXXX